Building on previous experience in Uganda, the Belgian organisation Eight World vzw started in October 2021, an Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) pilot project in a village in an artisanal mining zone in Maniema province, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In the coming years, more villages in that region will be added to this UCT …
Eastern DRC continues to face complex crises rooted in conflicts around power, governance, identity and access to natural resources including minerals, land and forestry. The Program for the Development of Eastern Congo (P-DEC) adopts bottom-up peacebuilding approaches to reduce conflict and bridge social divisions. It supports communities and the private sector to: Build inclusive dialogue …
Program for the Development of Eastern Congo (P-DEC) Read More »
Reliable data enable observers, suppliers and policymakers to adress ‘conflict minerals’ trade in Eastern DRC When effectively monitored and mapped, legal and responsible artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) supply chains can promote peace and stability while providing livelihoods and contributing to rural development throughout the Great Lakes region. In Eastern DRC, where the ASM sector …
Understanding Artisanal Mining Supply Chains and Conflict Financing in DRC Read More »
In December 2019, IPIS joined the consortium of International Alert, EurAC, OGP and Justice Plus to implement the Madini kwa Amani na Maendeleo (Minerals for Peace and Development) project, which aims to improve security, social cohesion and human rights in the conflict-ridden mineral-rich regions of eastern DRC. To achieve this objective, the Madini project plans to …
Madini – Strengthening Regional Stability in the Great Lakes Read More »
Together with Project on Resources and Governance (PRG) at UCLA, Sub-Saharan Field Research (SFR), and Ulula, IPIS carried out a study to evaluate the impacts of due diligence programs on artisanal mining communities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Over the last decade, efforts to eliminate so-called “conflict minerals” have focused on denying access …
Matokeo (impact in Swahili) is a mobile-based technology solution to help monitor social, environmental and human rights hotspots in Eastern Congo and create more cost-effective and miner-centric monitoring systems. Dates: 2020 – Location(s): DRC Research Programme(s): Natural Resources Funder(s): Conservation X Labs’ ASM Grand Challenge Partner(s): Ulula Activities: Phone-Based Data Collection Deliverable(s): Data Visualisation Platform …
In its Arms Trade Bulletin series, IPIS takes a regional and thematic approach and provides a digest on arms trade and security and the Arms Trade Treaties. Dates: Ongoing Research Programme(s): Arms Trade & Security Funder(s): Activities: Desk Research Deliverable(s): Briefings Project Coordinator Peter Danssaert Researcher e-mail This is the preview of the “Coordinator Project” …
With its series on Due Diligence, IPIS informs its audience on responsible sourcing, its frameworks and how to apply them and the challenges and pitfalls in its implementation. Dates: 2019 – 2021 Research Programme(s): Business & Human Rights Funder(s): IcSP Activities: Desk Research Deliverable(s): Insights Project Coordinator Lotte Hoex Researcher e-mail This is the preview …
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, IPIS closely monitors the impact of the pandemic on 3T+G mines and national supply chains in Tanzania, the Central African Republic (CAR) and the DR Congo. Through structured quantitative and qualitative data collection, IPIS measures the impact on a large amount of mining sites. IPIS is working through …
To empower community members to act upon their rights in the context of Uganda’s extractive industries, ASF and ANARDE aimed to use a community-based approach for assessing corporate human rights impacts. The objective of the project is to collect accurate and comprehensive data to monitor the enjoyment of human rights by rights-holders in two regions …
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) engaged IPIS to prepare the ground to support the development of a responsible artisanal gold mining sector in Beni-Mbau, in line with international due diligence requirements. The research is part of a larger stabilization programme “Ensemble pour Beni”, implemented by a consortium that is led by IOM. Gold mining …
Kufatilia is a component of the project Monitoring gold in DR Congo: ground-based incident reporting in eastern DR Congo that took place between 2018 and 2019 with the support of the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM). IPIS implemented a project to facilitate reporting and monitoring of incidents linked to the production, transport and selling …
IPIS is a member of the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition (KP CSC). This is a grouping of civil society organisations from Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe and Belgium. It has observer status to the Kimberley Process, which is an intergovernmental forum with a …
The European Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) engaged IPIS in a multi-year programme addressing the contribution of globalised mineral supply chains to the development and prolongation of violent conflict in sub-Saharan Africa. Awareness of so-called “conflict minerals” since the early 2000s has seen responses from intergovernmental initiatives, such as the Kimberley Process Certification …
Responsible Sourcing and Trade in Diamonds and Other Minerals Read More »
Roadblocks are a structural feature of South Sudanese roads. Whereas roadblocks in principle have legitimate roles to fulfil — ensuring security and levying decentralized taxes — they can also become vehicles for insecurity and illegal taxation. Along South Sudanese roads and rivers, state agents, security forces as well as armed groups occupy checkpoints at which …
The Political Economy of Roadblocks in South Sudan Read More »
IPIS participates to the Belgian National Baseline Assessment on Business & Human Rights (NBA). The goal of the study is to chart the progress made by the Belgian government and companies since the establishment of the first National Action Plan (NAP) on Business and Human Rights in July 2017. The NBA is executed by a …
In Eastern DR Congo, miners’ families have a difficult time to make ends meet even though artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is among the best income sources available to many. In an in-depth analysis of incomes and revenues of artisanal and small scale mining, IPIS and Levin Sources compare the income of miners and basic …
Assessment of Miner’s Revenue & Basic Needs Study Read More »
With the support of the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM), IPIS set up an independent, transparent and participatory platform for incident reporting and community empowerment in responsible sourcing in the Eastern DR Congo gold sector. IPIS has engaged in capacity enhancement of 7 mining cooperatives through a series of trainings and follow-up visits led …
Monitoring Gold in Eastern DRC: Ground-based Incident Reporting Read More »
In February 2019, IPIS began partnering with the Artisanal Mining and Property Rights (AMPR) project from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to increase awareness and understanding of the opportunities and challenges of establishing responsible gold supply chains in the Central African Republic (CAR). IPIS supported the Ministry of Mines in mapping artisanal mining …
Mapping Artisanal Small-Scale Mining in the Central African Republic Read More »
Africa’s domestic defence industry remains relatively unknown. Therefore, IPIS and the Omega Research Foundation have compiled a database of the main entities comprising this industry, including companies that manufacture, assemble or maintain: arms and ammunition; aeronautical components; vehicles; as well as importing and management companies. This data has been mapped to give an overview of …